Name: Kambry Jensen

Hometown: Richfield, UT

Major: Biology

Engagement Track: Leadership

 

Upstart Internship

 

For my EDGE project I completed an internship with a company called Upstart. Upstart is an online, at home based kindergarten preparedness program. I worked with a team of 6 preschool teachers from the Washington County School District. We traveled all over Southern Utah and held training and graduation events for the Upstart Program. It was such a blast.

 

My main job was to check people in as they came to the events. I worked on a computer to input information, and make sure equipment was given to the right people. I would also help get the children logged into the program so they could do their little test. I loved working with a variety of people, and being able to travel to many beautiful places in Southern Utah.

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The inspiration for my EDGE project came from one of my good friends. She is a preschool teacher for Washington County School District. She informed me about the internship with Upstart and told me to apply, so I did. I got the internship, and at the same time, decided to use it as my EDGE project. It was such a cool opportunity.

 

My internship with Upstart was such a fun experience, but there definitely were challenges. Right as I was supposed to start my internship, I got really sick, and had to get my appendix out. I was sad I wasn’t able to start my internship when I was supposed to, but as soon as I was better, I was able to jump right in.

 

Some other challenges were encountered. Our team lead suddenly had to quit working. That left a group of 6 or 7 of us, trying to make things work the best we could until we had a new team lead. We were short-staffed a few times, and that made it so we all had to do double the amount of work. We always had to make sure we had enough equipment, and treats and computers for each day. Every new day with Upstart seemed to have its own unique challenge, but working with a team, we were able to figure it out and get things done.

 

My project was a benefit to many people. The Upstart  program helps many young kids prepare for kindergarten. At every event we went to, parents were always saying how much they loved Upstart, and how much help it was for their children. My mom is a preschool teacher and she told me she could definitely see the benefits firsthand of the kids who participated in the Upstart program compared to those who did not.

 

My project was definitely a benefit to me. I learned a lot about the Upstart program and how much it does help children. I learned that working together as a team gets things done quickly and correctly. I learned to work with a variety of people. I also gained many new friendships that I will cherish for a long time.

 

 

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6/20/2017-

Today we met at Heritage Elementary in St. George. We loaded everything and drove to Panguitch. We unloaded and got everything set up; a graduation room and a testing room. My job is to check everyone in as they arrive. It is great.

 

6/28/2017-

We met at Heritage Elementary at 7:30, loaded up and drove to Loa. It was such a long drive, but it was really pretty. We had one session there with about twenty kids in it. I did check in as always.